Doctor, Doctor
by peridot scarves
Summary: Hatori is a physician, in fact one of the best ever. But when a patient comes to him with a broken heart, can he fix it? [Hatori x Kagura]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket or any of its characters, affiliations etc.

**Summary: **Hatori is a physician, in fact one of the best ever. But when a patient comes to him with a broken heart, can fix it? Hatori x Kagura

**Notes: **This pairing may seem a little out of the ordinary but its something that has been on my mind for a long time. The POV is done in both Hatori's and Kagura's. This is a rewrite of the original version mainly because the original version was stored on my laptop which crashed. Oh well, all writers have their darkest hours. Anyway, enjoy the story!

_**Doctor, Doctor**_

****

****

_Kagura's POV_

Sometimes I guess you have to let go, no matter how much you don't want to. There comes a time when you know you can't chase anymore.

That's how I felt when I heard the news: tired and weary. I guess in my heart of hearts, I had always known Kyou wasn't fond of me that way. Maybe I was the one who was wrong all those years. Yet the pain was still deafening. Seeing Tohru with Kyou made my blood boil, but it was impossible to tell Tohru that.

She was just too innocent, how could I blame her for a fault that was mine?

Everyone seemed surprised when I didn't blow up at the news of Tohru and Kyou. Even Shi-chan had seemed a bit bewildered. But Hatori didn't seem least bit unnerved. I guess he understood, I mean with Kana and all. I wonder how Hatori did, how he could just forget Kana like that. Except I don't think he ever forgot her completely, he couldn't let himself forget.

But I'm not as strong as Ha-chan. Forgetting Kyou wasn't easy for me, but I needed it, I needed to forget him…and everyone else.

A new resolute flitted in my head as I got up off my futon. Ha-chan wouldn't be busy now; I knew at least he would help me.

_Hatori's POV_

A tired sounding sigh escaped my lips, tending to Akito had been challenging again. But part of my weariness came from another source.

Kagura.

My younger cousin had, had an interest in Kyou ever since they were both little, though Kyou adamantly refused her affections. But in due time we all thought that Kyou would come to accept Kagura and it would be a happy ending-well happy as it could get with the Sohma family.

But then, Honda-san came along, giving this family a kindness it hadn't seen in years. I guess we had all foreseen what would happen but never cared enough to stop it. Kagura was falling deeper and deeper into Kyou and he was falling deeper and deeper into Tohru. Shigure would call it a tragic, heart wrenching love triangle or something. He always had the gift for over dramatization.

But that didn't change the fact that it happened, the night was still imprinted clearly in my mind.

_/"Ahem- everybody please…could I please…"/_

_/"Here Tohru, let me do it. SHUT UP!"/_

_/Silence fell abruptly over the gathering./_

_/"Um, Kyou and I would like to say that-that…we have found a new meaning to our relationship!"/_

_/"Yeah, that means we're in love, so hands off nezumi!"/_

_/A pointed look was directed at the rat of the zodiac. But all eyes were instead fixed on the boar. /_

_/"Oh really? I'm very happy- Kyou, Tohru...," a sob escaped her lips," Please…excuse me…"/_

_/She pushed past us, and Tohru started to follow suit but I caught her arm, shaking my head. /_

_/Some things just needed time. /_

After that, Kagura's health suffered tremendously and she fell into a deep bout of depression. I found myself at her bedside even more often than Akito's. While in bed, all of the family came to visit her at least once, if not more.

Even Kyou came.

His visit worried me at first. External factors like him could trigger another bout of depression in Kagura. But oddly she just smiled and said that it was her own foolishness that landed her in this mess.

My initial impression was that she was finally beginning to mature a bit but a visit from Shigure changed all that.

_/"Hatori, can I have a word with you?" /_

_/"Shigure, I don't have time for this. Kagura needs her medicine." /_

_/But he caught my arm before I could move. /_

_/"It is about Kagura, I 'm worried about her."/_

_/"Worried? Don't be, she's making a full recovery. Her color looks better, her appetite-_

_/He interrupted my medical records. /_

_/"No, it's not that. It's in her eyes, Hatori. A sadness, a fear. Talk to her before it's too late." /_

_/"Why me?" /_

_/The look he gave me made me feel like the irresponsible one. /_

_/"Because you know what she's going through. Don't you remember Kana?"/_

_/"Of course I do! How could I forget?"/_

_/"Then just do it Hatori, talk to her…"/_

I knew Kagura was suffering, but she needed it to move on. My good eye rested briefly on the photo of Kana and me, and I felt a deep pulling in my chest. We were so happy together, our love was meant to last but it never did.

And somewhere in me I knew that it was because I was born into this family. Love wasn't like Shigure's novels, it was real and more often than not, it hurt. Being a Jyuunishi meant sacrifices, but it's not like we ever asked for this. We weren't cursed with just spirits of animals, our whole lives were cursed. We were viewed as beasts to those who did not know better.

And love was impossibly hard to find.

But it was there.

One just had to look hard enough.

Kagura had to realize this. I realized it too but it was too late for me. She was young, she had time. And just like the seasons, in the end, winter does melt into spring.

"Br-ring ring ring!"

The sudden sound jolted me out of my thoughts and I picked up the phone, annoyed that the caller id read Shigure's House.

"Moshi Moshi."

"Aah, Hatori, it's me."

"I know. Look Shigure, I'm not really in the mood right now."

"Hatori-

-I'm sorry Shigure, I have other things to do."

And as much as I wanted to put the phone down, I didn't. Something about his voice sounded oddly serious; in fact the usual joking tone was gone.

"It's about Kagura."

A cold feeling seeped up my spine, the unfamiliar tingle of trepidation making its presence known. Usually I was calm about these sorts of things but…

"What about her? I sent her home a few days ago."

"Well, she's not there anymore. She's gone. Rin just called me a few minutes ago."

And the worst of my fears came true.

"What? But she still has a fever, she shouldn't even be standing!"

"We sent Yuki and Kyou out to search the forest by here, but they came back empty-handed."

"Fine. Shigure, you go search the city since you know it better than I do. I'll search the woods around here. And call Ayame too; ask him if he's seen her."

"OK then, bye."

"Bye."

I didn't even notice that the phone had missed its receiver in my haste to stand up and put my coat on. The sanguine umbrella felt cold against my hand as I walked towards the shoji and pulled it open.

The darkness of the hallway immediately consumed me and the only sounds to be heard where the beeping of the phone, and the rain that drizzled against the house.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

_**Kagura's POV**_

The cold wind howled at my back and I felt myself shiver. This wasn't doing any good to my condition. But I couldn't take it. I couldn't be restrained to my bed any longer; I needed some fresh air and a way to clear my thoughts.

The pain of heart break had subdued somewhat, but still when ever I thought about Kyou or anything to do with him, my heart would clench painfully. By now my emotions were in a hopeless jumble and I found my self confused beyond belief.

Letting go of Kyou also meant new revelations.

Still, I had been sick and mentally drained most weeks and even thinking required a lot of brain effort especially if the object of my thought was Kyou. Just another excuse to avoid him.

But it was inevitable.

They had all come to see me when I was sick.

Tohru with her kindness and apologies and worrisome nature.

Yuki with his subdued, quiet sympathies. Yun-chan…I wonder how he's doing now. I knew he loved Tohru.

Shigure and his funny stories and cheery mood. But I had seen something flash in his eyes when he looked at me. Sympathy…concern?

And finally, Kyou had entered the medical room. The words he spoke were kind and endearing, never the ones I were used to. And he told me he loved me just…just not in a romantic way but as cousin should to a cousin.

It was good enough for him yet it left me with a burning emptiness inside me that I didn't understand.

And then there was Ha-chan.

He was so kind and patient with me, but after all that's what doctors do. Yet, his eyes held a certain understanding that I knew was the result of his previous love. But he would never openly discuss it with me, I guess because it hurt too much to think about Kana anymore.

Still, I owed him many thanks because he did offer some comfort when I felt lost. Hatori was so calm and collected like a lake. And me, I was raging and passionate like the ocean itself. We were almost like total opposites but the losses we suffered kept us linked.

The rain fell harder, blurring my vision with its vigor. I stumbled around, trying to keep my umbrella from flying into the blackened sky. The wind whistled through my ears, leaving a harsh ringing tone its wake. I shivered, suddenly comprehending the direness of my situation. The charcoal colored trees looming over me, didn't lighten my mood any.

Stumbling in the mud, I pressed a hand to my now burning forehead, feeling it heat up even more. I squinted, trying to make out the path in front of me, but the fever had claimed my eyesight as well. The trees seemed like demons in my blurring vision and the wind like the devil's flute.

And that was last thing I recalled as the ground spun underneath me.

* * *

_**Hatori's POV**_

The rain beat down heavily, dripping of the roofing of the house, to collect in small pools on the ground. I sighed, hoping that Kagura would be okay.

Rain drops immediately assaulted my body, as I made my way out of the gate of the Sohma estate. The blue umbrella over my head hardly lessened the impact of the rain.

Ten minutes of walking in the rain had left me at a street way, out of eyesight of the Sohma house.

My feet automatically headed toward the foliage and woods. I remember when Kagura, Kyou and Yuki were kids, that's where they would play hide and seek. Now that I think about it, I seem to recall a time similar to this when Kagura had gone missing. She was 8 and I was about 15.

XXXXX

"_Hatori-ni!" _

"_Yuki, what's wrong?"_

"_It's Kagura-nee, she got lost when we were playing in the woods."_

"_Really?"_

"_Hai, it's true."_

"_Did you look for her, maybe she's just hiding."_

"_We did, but we didn't find her. I even called her name lots of times, and she still didn't come out."_

"_Come on Hatori-ni, we have to find her!"_

"_Wait a second, did you tell Shigure?" Hatori asked, reluctant to leave his school work for a stupid game of hide and go-seek._

"_Iie, I couldn't find him."_

"_Ok, I'll go look but why don't you stay here Yuki. It's getting dark, and it'd be best for you to stay here. Okay?" It looked like he had no choice._

"_Okay, Hatori-ni?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Bring Kagura-nee back safe, okay?"_

"_I promise."_

XXXXX

* * *

**A/N: **So how's it coming along? I'm really struggling with Hatori's character because he's really hard to write and also his relationship with Kagura is not often seen in the anime or manga. But hopefully it isn't that bad! 


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

**_Hatori's POV_**

XXXXX

The thick trees prevented me from seeing farther into the woods. Only the looming bodies of plants could be seen from my vantage point. But I ventured in further, hoping my memory wouldn't fail me.

If Kagura wasn't found soon enough, she could develop pneumonia which would weaken her body tremendously. Or maybe she had gone back home. But recalling her determination I doubted it.

The wet grass made a squelching sound as I stepped upon it, going in further into the forest. Raindrops dripped languidly onto my umbrella creating a steady rhythm. I would find her, and if not me the others would.

XXXXX

_The last rays of sun were leaving the sky, painting a deep blue as Hatori scanned the area where Yuki, Kyou and Kagura had been playing._

_Where could she be?_

_She was only 8 so she couldn't have run that far._

_The boy made his way into the thicket of trees that made up their playing ground. Walking through them was no easy feat. Branches and vines twisted this way and that creating a maze of sorts. _

_He had been walking for about 15 minutes now but still no sign of his younger cousin._

"_Kagura-chan! Where are you?"_

_Hatori didn't except a reply back._

_Instead he continued his trek till he landed at a small clearing, where the last drops of sunlight filtered through. But a thorough examination o f the clearing didn't reveal Kagura._

_But it did reveal soft cries and whimpers._

_Hatori's head turned sharply toward the side of the clearing, where a small grove of plants grew._

_He stepped closer until he could peer over the shrubs. And sure enough it exposed a small crying Kagura._

"_Kagura?"_

"_Go…sniff...away."_

"_But Kagura, you have to come home now, everybody's worried about you."_

_The small girl's head turned towards the older boy's. _

"_Hatori-ni? What are you doing here?"_

"_I came looking for you because Yuki told me you were lost. He's really worried about you."_

"_I wasn't lost! I just ran away."_

_Hatori sighed, seeing it wasn't easy to change her stubborn mind. He knelt down next to her, so that he was eye level with her._

"_What happened?"_

"_Kyou told me to go away and then he pushed me! He said girls were dumb and that he didn't like me!"_

"_Did he?"_

"_Hai!"_

"_But that's not your fault. He likes you Kagura, he just doesn't want to show you. In fact, we all love you."_

_Her gray eyes turned towards him, big in wonder._

"_Really?"_

_He nodded. _

"_Then, do you love me too Hatori-ni?"_

_There was no hesitation in his voice when he answered,_

"_Yes, of course I do. Now let's go home?"_

"_Yeah, Ha-ni can you buy me some ice-cream?"_

_Hatori picked up Kagura so that she was leaning onto his shoulder. A small smirk found its way across his face at her question. _

"_Hmm, I think Shi-chan has an ice-cream treat for you Kagura."_

"_Wow, really? Let's go home soon!"_

XXXXX

The rhythm of the rain had engraved it's self into my head now. Every three steps of my feet, combined with the constant patter of the rain had taken me into a trance like state. The place I found myself stirred my memories again.

_Then do you love me too…?_

The clearing looked darker now, not the sunset painted place I remembered from my childhood. How long had it been now? 10 years? 15?

Ever since Kana left, it was hard to pretend to be carefree. Well, it was always hard for me to pretend to be carefree. But when Kana left, life became colder and childhood memories became even further from my mind. And not even Tohru could solve that.

I lowered my umbrella, seeing no point in keeping it up, I was already drenched to the bone. The rain drops hit me without abandon as my barrier was lowered. She had to be here, Kagura had to be here.

The light from the sky was fully gone now, leaving darkness in its wake. I stepped around the roughly circular clearing, squinting in vain, trying to catch any glimpses that Kagura had been here.

Nothing.

Maybe the others had found her. I reached into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone but I came back empty handed.

Shit. I must've left it in the clinic.

My shoes sank into the mud as I made my way to the canopy of a tree. I leaned my head against the trunk, sighing heavily. My eyes fluttered close as the rain reached its crescendo.

"…uuh…ow…"

The sound alerted my senses, as my eyes snapped open.

What was that?

I turned around, and my eyes immediately landed on a grove of trees.

_Kagura?_

Stepping closer, I peered hesitantly into the mess of leaves and brancesh, my heart swelling with hope. The darkness combined with the rain obscured my vision. So I walked in, pushing branches out of my way.

What I saw made me gasp.

"Kagura!"

She was lying in the mud, her clothes dirty and her delicate body looking worn out.

I rushed towards her, tripping in my hurry. My knees sank down to the ground next to her as I leaned over my younger cousin.

My hand immediately went to her forehead. It was hot, too hot. She was running a fever and a very high one. My mind transformed from the worried family member to the responsible doctor.

Her muddy clothes caressed my ear as I lent my head down onto her chest, checking for any signs of an irregular heart beat. The rhythm of her heart echoed through her clothes. _Ba-bump Ba-bump._

It seemed normal but the slightly fast pace of her heart beat worried me. I caressed the sides of her head, gently wiping the mud of her face. Her eyelids were closed, and raindrops trickled off them to slide off her face and onto the wet earth.

For the second time in my life, I felt the biting feeling of helpnesses threaten my sanity.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Kagura's POV**_

* * *

The first thing I heard as I came around was the incessant pounding of the rain. I used to love the rain but now I wasn't so sure any more.

My whole body ached and I felt as if I were dying. Shi-chan had told me dying was peaceful but this didn't seem so peaceful to me. My eyes still refused to open as I tried to forget the pain, the physical aspects of it and the emotional ones too.

But it wouldn't let me.

I groaned struggling to sit up, but a searing hot white light washed through my forehead and I felt my self sink down into the mud again. Let it claim me. I don't care anymore.

Rushing footsteps patted the ground, and my ears strained to pick up anymore sound. A cool pressure was felt onto my forehead and a similar one on my chest. I was dreaming again. I doubted whether the soft touches really existed or if they were another figment of my imagination. It was probably the latter.

But when gentle fingertips brushed the skin of my cheek, my eyes jolted open, surprised beyond belief.

And the first thing I found my self staring into was a green eye. That color of eyes could only belong to one person: Hatori. His hand instantly moved away from my cheek and to his side.

"Hatori…" his name came out as a whisper on my breath.

I tried to sit up again, and this time I achieved some what of an awkward sitting position. My cousin's hands came up behind me, supporting the small of my back.

"Ha'ri, I'm- I'm sorry…"

His confused face met mine.

"For what?"

"For causing you all this trouble, you're soaked to the bone because of me. I'm so sorry Ha-chan."

His eyes softened slightly and his hands moved to brush the wet hair out of my face.

"Don't be Kagura; it's not your fault."

"No…" My sentence died on my lips as I felt, tears starting to flow down my cheeks, covering Hatori's fingers as well.

The tears soon turned to sobs and my body started to shake uncontrollably with a sorrow that I had tried to bury away. My shoulders hunched forward and I felt myself being hugged to a warm yet wet body.

His arms were a protective case around me, holding me in. His white doctor's coat soon became soaked with my own tears, like imprints of my sadness. I hadn't cried like this in front of him since I was a child.

But Hatori offered a comfort that was hard to find and I needed that. I needed someone to understand what I was going through. I didn't want to trouble him any more than I already had but soon selfish desire drove those thoughts away.

* * *

_**Hatori's POV**_

The sentence that sprung from Kagura's lips surprised me beyond belief.

"Ha'ri I'm-I'm sorry…"

Sorry? What was she sorry for? I should be the one apologizing to her. Shigure had warned that if I didn't talk to her she would fall even deeper into the grave she was digging herself. And I couldn't help but feel he was right.

"For what?"

She looked up at me, her gray eyes swimming like big pools of liquid crystal.

"For causing you all this trouble, you're soaked the bone because of me. I'm so sorry Ha-chan."

It wasn't her fault that she ended up like this, that all of us ended up like this. It's hard to find love when you're cursed and yet a special few had broken this curse of loneliness.

"Don't be Kagura; it's not your fault."

What does it take to save a soul? Is it medicine, like the Tylenol pills I kept in my cupboard? Or maybe the best remedy is love.

Her eyes started to tear, and I found myself trying to brush them all away in fruitless effort. And soon sobs wracked Kagura's body, pushing her forward so that her head touched my chest.

I was at a loss for what to do. Shigure was good with people but I was not, his words rung in my brain as if giving advice.

_Then do it Hatori, just talk to her._

And so I did.

My arms wrapped around my cousin, holding her close to my body heat. Her tears soaked into the fabric of my clothes but I could feel them burning on my skin.

"Shh, Kagura. Please don't cry I'm right here."

Her sobs gradually turned to soft cries and soon, those turned into whimpers. The rain had let up, just like her crying and only a light drizzle covered the earth. Kagura's body slumped against mine, exhausted from the day's events.

She lifted her head from its place on my shoulder, and looked at me, her eyes still shining with unshed tears.

"Why is it Ha-chan that we are so cursed? That it is almost impossible for us to find love?"

Her questions startled me, and again I was at a loss for words. Those questions were the same ones I asked my self everyday.

"I-I don't know."

The honest answer left my mouth. Truly, none of knew why we were so cursed. Had we committed such terrible crimes in our past life?

"Please, I want to know."

What could I tell her?

"Kagura, I don't know. But never is it impossible to find love. People are hurt by others but it is also possible for people to healed by others as well."

That was the way the world was supposed to work. What others took from you, others will replace for you. Still I never had Kana's love returned to me but there is always solace in the fact that one can have hope.

"And what about Kyou? He is love was never returned to me!" Her violent side was starting to emerge.

"He was the only one that mattered! Just being able to love him was the only thing that I cared about. And now, that has been robbed of me too."

What could I say to that?

"Kagura, we all love you. Each one of the Jyuunishi care for you, isn't that love?"

"No, it's not the same!!" Her words came out in a half sob, half shriek. "Loving Kyou was different, it mattered more than anything. It helped erase the pain Hatori! He helped me unknowingly…unwillingly…"

The hurt lashed through me, and it felt like her words stung more than a thousand knives piercing my skin. I knew she said things without meaning sometimes, but this…this hurt. Didn't she know we suffered too? That I still suffer?

Didn't she know that we cared? That I…care?


	5. Chapter 5

_Kagura's POV_

"No, it's not the same!"

I regretted what I said the instant the words left my mouth.

I saw the pain flash through his olive colored orbs, but it was gone as quickly as it came. But that didn't justify what I did.

Why else would Hatori come looking for me if it wasn't for the fact that he cared for me?

Why else would he be drenched to the bone in rain water if he didn't worry about me?

My eyes started to tear again, how could I have hurt Ha-chan like that? Lately, all I seem to be doing is hurting people.

I hugged Hatori, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his coat.

"Ha-chan…I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it…"

He shushed me, tightening his hold on my shivering body. And yet I needed to tell him, tell him that I cared about him too. Ever since Kana-san left he has been so cold and withdrawn that sometimes I worry about him.

"Ha-chan…I love you too."

I looked up to see his expression, it hadn't changed but there was no more hurt or grievance in his eyes. In fact, they looked almost warm but only to a certain extent. The rest of his face was weary looking, maybe from all the responsibilities that burdened him. But I knew it was partly from something that happened long ago.

I didn't want him to suffer anymore. How could I be so selfish as to break down in front of Hatori when he had suffered so much more than I did? All I wanted to do was to show him that he still had people that cared for him. That losing Kana wasn't the end of his life, like losing Kyou wouldn't be the end of mine.

My trembling hand cupped his right cheek, sliding under smooth strands of ebony hair. His skin was so soft, unlike the hard expression his eyes usually wore. All I wanted to do was to show him that I cared about him too.

And in doing that, I did something I thought I never would.

_Hatori's POV_

Soft…that was the only thing that registered in my mind as Kagura pressed her lips against my own. It was a brief meeting, like the way snow melts on your cheek on a winter's day.

Her lips moved away almost a second after it ever touched mine, but the memory of it lingered on my lips. Pulling back she looked at the ground, a vivid blush staining her cheeks. My eyes were still somewhat wide with shock. We had never shown an intimate relationship with each other; only casual hugs and sometimes the occasional peck on the cheek and even those were rare.

"Kagura…I –"

She cut in to what I was about to say.

"Shh, let's not talk about this."

I nodded but my emotions were raging. It wasn't that big of a deal, a simple kiss between cousins shouldn't have affected me so much.

But it did.

There was something behind it that I couldn't put a finger on. There was a whisper of something behind that kiss, like whispers of spring on a winter day. Like whispers of love in a cold world.

A chattering of teeth brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked over at Kagura, who had curled herself into a ball trying to keep warm.

How could I forget? She was still sick!

My hand reached out to touch her forehead, feeling her temperature underneath a smooth expanse of skin.

It was extremely warm, and my body tensed. If she didn't get home soon, she was sure to suffer from pneumonia.

Her eyes traced my form as I stood up.

"Kagura, can you stand?"

"I-I think so." She stood up shakily, using my shoulder as a support system.

But walking was another matter. Her legs had gone quite numb from the impact of the cold and fever.

I guess I had no other choice but to carry her, besides her health was my responsibility.

"Here, let me help you."

She swatted my hand away, saying that she didn't want to trouble me anymore. If there was one thing I knew about my cousin, it was that she was very stubborn.

And normally, I would have let her have way but this was different. She was under my care and I didn't want any of my patients passing out in the mud. Shigure would have a field day with that one. I could just imagine his voice,

'Oi, Ha-san, what have you and Kagura been doing rolling around in the mud?'

Perverts never change.

Forgetting the sick joke in my head, I walked towards Kagura in hopes of convincing her to let me carry her to the Honke. She just eyed me in that defiant manner of hers, as she attempted to take a few steps in the mud. But just as I had predicted, she stumbled rather ungracefully to the earth.

"Kagura."

She sighed, hearing the tone in my voice as I trotted over to her side.

I managed to pick her up so that my arm was cradling her head and my other hand supported the underside of her knees. Her even breathing brushed against my neck lightly as she snuggled into the cavern made by arm and chest. I couldn't help but smile faintly at her actions. Even after all these years, Kagura had managed to hold onto her childish innocence.

Treading cautiously with her in my arms, I started to hike out of the thicket of trees and onto the winding path to the Sohma estate. The night looked even darker now with only the soft glow of streetlamps to illuminate the deserted streets.

I caught my self staring at the form in my arms, watching the way shadows flitted across her delicate features. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight giving her an almost ethereal look. My eyes traced the contours of her face, from the folds of her eyelids to the smooth curve of her cheeks and finally to her lips.

Those lips…

The subtle caress of her lips was still etched into my memory even if the union was short lived. But the emotions behind it were like none other I had felt before except…except with Kana.

"Ha-chan."

The soft sound that escaped from her mouth caused me to look into her stormy eyes yet again.

"Aa?"

"Thank you…for everything."

Her eyes lazily drifted close but not before offering me a small smile which I managed to return. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, not like the bombastic personality she was at daytime. How fickle people could be.

A silken wind blew over the night, draping us both in a cold blanket. My cousin's body shivered at the sensation and I only held her closer, reveling in the feel of a soft body.

And as the moonlight threaded through the trees, all I could do was hope that I wasn't too late in my saving.


End file.
